This invention relates to a coaxial cable connection assembly used for the Local Area Network, in particular, for a network such as Ethernet which utilizes a coaxial cable as a transmission medium, and more specifically, the invention relates to a connection assembly for electrically connecting the coaxial cable used in the network to each of the station devices such as transmitting and/or receiving devices and other units.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a typical example of Ethernet which is a kind of bus network. Reference numeral 20 designates a coaxial cable which serves as a transmission line for transmitting information signals. This coaxial cable 20 is provided at its opposite ends with terminators 21 and is connected to a plurality of station devices 22 such as personal computers and the like via the same number of drop cables 32. A cable connection assembly 24 couples each of the drop cables 32 to the coaxial cable 20 so that the station devices 22 are enabled to transmit and/or receive information signals to and/or from one another.
As shown in FIG. 2, each of the cable connection assemblies 24 includes: a cable tap connector 26 for engaging with the coaxial cable 20; and a transceiver 28, fixedly connected to the cable tap connector 26, for transmitting and receiving information signals to and from the coaxial cable 20 and for controlling the transmission and reception of the information signals. The transceiver 28 has a drop cable-connecting member 30, disposed on the outer surface 29 of the transceiver 28, for coupling the transceiver 28 to the corresponding drop cable 32 which is connected to the controlling circuit board (not shown) in the corresponding station device 22.
The cable tap connector 26 comprises two matable housing members 34 and 36. The housing member 34 is directly and fixedly connected to the transceiver 28, while the other housing member 36 is adapted to be mated with or secured to the housing member 34 by means of screws 46. The housing members 34 and 36 have respective semi-cylindrical channels 44 and 45 formed therein which coincide when the housing members 34 and 36 are mated to form one full cylindrical channel for receiving and retaining the coaxial cable 20. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing member 34 has a center conductor probe 38 and outer conductor contact pins 40 and 42. Both the probe 38 and the pins 40 and 42 are made of metal and extend into the channel 44 to contact the respective center and outer conductors of the cable 20 as the housing members 34 and 36 are mated. Dielectric material 48 fits around the central section of the center conductor probe 38 so that the probe 38 is electrically insulated from the housing member 34 and that opposite end portions of the probe 38 are exposed.
The coaxial cable 20 has a bore 49 extending radially through its sheath, its outer conductor and its insulation so that the center conductor of the cable 20 is exposed through the bore 49. The center conductor probe 38 is adapted to be inserted into this bore 49 to be electrically in contact with the center conductor of the cable 20. The outer conductor contact pins 40 and 42 are adapted to penetrate the sheath of the cable 20 to electrically contact the outer conductor of the cable 20 as the probe 38 is inserted into the bore 49. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the probe 38 and the pins 40 and 42 is electrically connected to an electric circuit board 50 of the transceiver 28 via a lead wire 51. This electric circuit board 50 is connected to the connecting member 30 to which the drop cable 32 is to be coupled. With the assist of the cable connection assembly thus constructed, the station devices are ready to transmit and receive information signals to and from one another through the coaxial cable 20.
However, there arises the following inconvenience with the aforementioned cable connection assembly 24: that is, it is difficult to dispose the drop cable 32 flexibly in a desired direction such as a direction parallel to the coaxial cable 20 since the transceiver 28 is fixedly connected to the cable tap connector 26 so that its outer surface 29, on which the drop cable-connecting member 30 is mounted, is retained in parallel relationship to the axis X of the full cylindrical channel of the tap connector 26. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the drop cable 32 does not naturally extend parallel to the coaxial cable 20 but perpendicular to the coaxial cable 20. In other words, the direction in which the drop cable 32 extends from the transceiver 28 is unnecessarily predetermined by the position of the connecting member 30 with respect to cable tap connector 26. Consequently, it is often necessary, for instance, when the branch connection including the connection assembly 24 is required to be encased in a joint box 47 as shown in FIG. 5, to bend the drop cable 32 at an undesirably small bend radius or to prepare a space-occupying large joint box.